


Acrimony

by leavemeyourstardust



Category: Containment (TV), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: A containment and Supergirl crossover, F/M, Jake as a single dad with xenophobic tendencies, Kara as a new reporter, and enemies with benefits, slow burn with romance, takes place after Supergirl S1 and Containment S1
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 11:25:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15629721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leavemeyourstardust/pseuds/leavemeyourstardust
Summary: After surviving the Corden, Jake Riley and Quentin Frank arrive in National City to start a new life. Jake keeps crossing paths with intrepid reporter Kara Danvers who has plenty of secrets of her own and has an outlook on life that is about to throw Jake for a loop. However, he's still not over Katie and struggles with this new source of disruption in his day to day life. To make matters worse, National City has been overtaken by a new menace one that can only be defeated if Kara and Jake can put their differences aside and work together.A Containment & Supergirl crossover.





	Acrimony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake crosses paths with Kara Danvers for the first time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working on this fic for quite some time now. I loved Jake Riley in Containment and always wondered how he'd vibe with Kara Danvers / Kara Zor-El which led me to writing this first chapter. This is dedicated to Megan who loves Jake Riley with all her heart and who also wanted to see Chris play a single dad ;) hopefully, this somewhat fulfills that until he plays a single dad. As usual, this fic is unbetaed so I apologize for all the spelling errors and grammatical mistakes, Kudos & comments are always appreciated.

  
He was holding her. Hair as black as the night, skin as white as snow, and lips as red as an apple. When she was well, Katie Frank had the most infectious smile. A peony blush would cover her cheeks, a softness would be alight in her dark brown eyes. In her last moments, he could see that light fading. As he held her body, rocking back and forth, begging for a god to come to the rescue.

This was the moment he relived again and again in his nightmares. Losing the love of his life over and over again as though some sadist had implanted this form of torture in the dark recesses of his mind. He’d lost everything. His loved ones, his friends, his home, even his sense of faith. All he had now was Katie’s Son, Quentin Frank.

Almost on cue, the precocious twelve-year-old wandered into Jake’s bedroom dressed in his white pinstriped pajamas. Jake was sitting on his bed only in his pajama bottoms, pallid and shaking from the dream he’d had. A cold sweat doused his body, as he ran a hand through his dark hair.

“ You had the dream again, “ Quentin said with a frown. The pair had been mandated to attend therapy sessions by the social worker, where Jake had begrudgingly admitted to being haunted by the dream. This had distressed the boy, so Jake had told him that eventually, it would pass. He decided that it was best to lie this once.

“ No, not that dream. I had a dream that I showed up on the first day of work buck naked “

He didn’t know if Quentin could tell he was lying, but it did manage to draw out a huge smile from the boy, so much like his mother’s.

Quentin had no living relatives, so Jake had been allowed to take custody, however, he was still under the watchful eye of the state in more ways than one. Jake and Quentin were the only survivors of the Corden. They had been tested and retested for the virus for months until they were allowed to move on with their lives. Moving to National City had been for Quentin’s benefit, he had earned a full scholarship to St. Edmund Hall because of his prowess with mathematics ( and perhaps the school wanted some positive PR for welcoming in a survivor of the Corden ).

“ I’m nervous too “ Quentin admitted as Jake reached for one of his black t-shirts from the side of his bed donning it. “ I know it’s stupid, but what if none of the kids like me. “

“ Of course, they’ll like you, “ Jake said not missing a beat as he got up off the bed and ruffled Quentin’s hair, “ you’re a survivor, that’s cool “

Quentin cast a half-hearted smile. “ Are you excited for work? “ he asked Jake. The man shrugged in response, it was weird going back to work at the police department of another city, especially one that was rumored to be rampant with aliens.

“ It’s not much to be excited about, kid. Regular police work is pretty routine “ Jake said gathering up his things.

“ You might get to work with Supergirl though! “ Quentin said excitedly.

Jake’s jaw visibly clenched for a moment. He had heard the stories of the boy scout in blue and his equally wholesome cousin. Where were they when all those people in Atlanta had perished? Where were they when people needed to be evacuated out of the Corden? Jake couldn’t help but be resentful about the Supers. A lab in Washington had manufactured a cure a few weeks after Katie’s death. Perhaps, if these “gods among men” had pitched in the process could have been expedited. Maybe, Katie would be alive.

“ You okay? “ Quentin asked, afraid he may have upset his guardian.

“ Yeah fine, just thinking that we shouldn’t dawdle. You get your things ready and I’ll go shower and make you breakfast. Today is a big day for both of us. “

\--

After Jake dropped off Quentin at St. Edmund Hall, he drove to the police headquarters at the heart of National City. In Atlanta, HQ had been a large red brick building that stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the city’s gleaming skyscrapers. NCPD, however, melded into the environment perfectly as a tall white building with a few sparse windows. Jake parked his truck and walked to the entrance where he was greeted by an elderly woman. She introduced herself as Janet from Human Resources. She had the same look of sympathy that other people had when they met Jake Riley for the first time. The usual “you’ve been through such an ordeal”, “you poor thing”, and “you were so brave”. Jake had perfected the routine to a kind smile and a nod resisting the urge to contradict his well-wishers. He was no hero, he did what he had to survive, and most of all he’d been lucky.

He was glad to be done with Janet’s orientation and eager to get to work. Stalking into the locker room, he noticed two brunette women standing there seemingly in the midst of a heated argument.

“ Don’t let it happen, Sawyer. You can’t keep pissing off the feds- “

“ Well, they keep getting in the way of my work and pissing me off “

The taller of the two noticed Jake and stopped clearing her throat. A practiced smile appeared on her lips as she bounded over.

“ You must be Jake Riley, my name’s Sam Arias. I’m the Sergeant at this main precinct. I trust orientation went well for you. I would have come to greet you, but I had… “ she threw aside glare at the other woman standing behind her with her arms folded and a sour look on her face, “ a minor disruption to take care of. “ she put forth her hand for Jake to shake. Jake accepted it without missing a beat, the woman reminded him of Jana, who had perished in those last days in the Corden, the infection finally catching up with her. He shook off the thought, there was no place for it here.

“ It’s alright, Janet was very helpful. I’m just looking forward to suiting up and getting out there. “ Jake replied courteously.

“ We’re very excited to have you here, speaking of which… Sawyer get over here “ Sam looked back at the other woman, who shook off her negativity and walked over to where Jake and Sam were standing with a grin on her face. “ This is your new partner, Maggie Sawyer. Despite what you may have overheard, she’s an excellent cop, she just has trouble with authority. Hopefully, you can keep her in line. “

“ I don’t need a babysitter, Sergeant “ she scowled before she shook Jake’s hand as well, “ Nice to meet you, Riley. Gotta say I was expecting someone older. “

Jake was at times surprised that people didn’t recognize him. His and Quentin’s face had been plastered on many a TV screen over the past year. Even now, when the news cycle was slow, they’d do a fluff piece on the two survivors. All bullshit in Jake’s opinion.

“ Thanks, I look forward to working with you, Sawyer. But I apologize, Sergeant Arias, I won’t be much help in the respecting authority department I have trouble with that myself. “

Maggie guffawed, while Sam’s ears turned red. She cleared her throat, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear as she straightened herself to her full height. “ In any case, you both should head over to the briefing room, the president is in town and we have a lot to prepare for. “ with that she curtly nodded and walked through a side door that presumably led out of the locker room.

“ You know I think I’m going to like you, “ Maggie said once Sam had left and Jake walked to the locker adjacent to Maggie and entered in the combination that Janet had given him.

“ Glad I have your seal of approval. I don’t think the Sergeant is a fan of mine though “ Jake was doing such a great job at assimilating his therapist was going to have so much fun ripping into him tomorrow.

“ Oh don’t worry, she’s not as uptight as she seems. She’s just stressed because the president is in town and so is her ex-girlfriend. “

Jake nodded in response, taking off his leather jacket and putting on his police vest. “ Fill me on the President, why is she here again? “

Maggie quirked an eyebrow at him, “ I just got in from Gotham and even I know what’s going on. President Marsdin is signing the Alien Amnesty Act. It’ll give aliens the same rights as us. “

Jake looked noticeably uncomfortable. Didn’t aliens just try to take over the planet? Was it a good idea to grant them the same rights as humans? He didn’t say anything though. Maggie seemed to pick up on his change in demeanor like any good cop would.

“ Don’t tell me you’re xenophobic, Riley. I was just starting to warm up to you. “ Maggie said leaning against her locker once she closed it.

“ I’ve just never come across an alien before. From what I know, they just try to take over our world… “ he trailed off.

“ Not all of them are megalomaniacs. They’re more common than you think. Most of them fear persecution. And besides, I thought you’d be a Superman fan. Or maybe a Supergirl one huh? “

“ It’s hard to be a fan when they left us for dead in Atlanta. “

Maggie’s face fell, she had to wonder if she had put her foot in her mouth. However, she recovered quickly and smiled. “ I know life hasn’t dealt you an easy card. It hasn’t for me either, my dad threw me out on my ass when I came out. But, that doesn’t give you the excuse to carry around hate and resentment in your heart. “

Jake looked down, unsure of what to say. It sounded like something Katie would have said to him, but then again she was always a better person than he was.

“ I’m sorry about your dad. “ Jake finally said, “ maybe I’ll change my mind if I meet an actually normal alien. “

Maggie laughed, while Jake looked at her puzzled.

“ I’m sorry, it’s just...are any of us really normal? “ Maggie asked with a devilish grin before she sauntered off towards the briefing room. Jake pronounced one last sigh before he grabbed his badge and his phone and followed suit.

\--  
The briefing didn’t last long. Sam astutely broke down the President’s schedule and assigned individual patrols to each section of her day. President Marsdin had her own detail but they were required for backup support. It seemed that Jake wasn’t the only one who was skeptical about the bill or what it might mean for the city. There had been a litany of threats pelted toward the President and they needed to take these as seriously as possible.

Maggie and Jake had been given the big ceremony where the President would arrive in the city and then sign the decree. After witnessing the disagreement with Sam and Maggie earlier, Jake had been surprised they’d been given such an important task. Although, it did make sense from a logistics standpoint. From what he could tell, Maggie was a talented detective that came from a long line of police and civil people. Her own father headed off the paranormal investigations branch at Gotham PD while she had decided to come to National City a few months ago to make a name for herself. So far, she’d set a record; fifty-two successful arrests in the course of three months. Jake himself, had once been a decorated police officer in Atlanta PD and then there was his history with the Corden. The two partners were as different as night and day but they shared a common thread: they both had experience dealing with the press.

Upon arrival to the event, hosted on the tarmac of the Steve Trevor Airport at the south end of National City, Maggie and Jake parted ways after being briefed by the President’s detail. Maggie’s face had contorted into a grimace when the Feds had told them to stay out of their way. _How’re we supposed to do our job with those pricks breathing down her neck?_ She’d muttered under her breath so only Jake could hear. To which Jake had responded with a crooked smile and a shake of his head. Sam hadn’t been joking when she said Maggie had trouble dealing with authority.

As much as Jake liked Maggie, he was thankful to be on his own, now. Crowds made him nervous, they reminded him of the rush of people trying to leave the Corden when the virus first showed up. He supposed there was some residual PTSD leftover from that period of his life but he wasn’t going to let it interfere with him doing his job. He circled the perimeter slowly, grey-blue eyes searching for any signs of suspicious movements. Some of these aliens had enhanced abilities and he had to be ready for anything. Thankfully preparing for disaster was something he excelled at.

He was trudging along when he collided with something hard to his left side. Something, that felt like a half a ton of steel. Jake quickly moved apart, fingers gliding over the helm of his gun, but he was careful not to draw until he assessed the situation. There was no reason to cause a panic. Surprisingly, there was nothing there when he turned. All he heard was the shuffling of papers, and his gaze darted downwards. A blonde haired woman was gathering papers that had presumably gone askew when she’d collided with him. Her hair was in an elegant French braid and she wore a pastel blue shirt and a pair of dark blue slacks. On the bridge of her nose, were a pair of amber colored horn-rimmed glasses and when she rose to her full height she wore a radiant smile on her lips. Her clumsiness causing a slight embarrassment which had imbued a scarlet hue to the apples of her cheeks.

“ I’m so sorry, I was trying to find a good spot to listen to President Marsden's speech. Guess, I just didn’t realize where I was walking “ she said fiddling with her glasses.

Her smile was infectious, Jake thought. Like Katie’s, echoed the annoying voice in his head. If he wasn’t on duty he would have smiled back, but he retained his stoic demeanor. “ Do you have a press badge? “ he asked, giving the girl once over.

“ Oh yes! Although I’m not- “ she rubbed her shoulder awkwardly before reaching into her purse and extracting her laminated badge to give to Jake, “ I’m Kara Danvers, CatCo Magazine. But I’m only a Junior Reporter, a glorified intern really...I’m here observing Snapper Carr over there “ Jake turned to observe the squat middle-aged man at the front of the line as Kara pointed to him. “ I thought I could impress him by finding a better spot but, here I am bothering one of NCPD’s finest. My sister works in law enforcement and she hates it when- “ she cleared her throat, “ I’m babbling aren’t I? “ the red on her cheeks deepened. “ I do that when I’m nervous. Sorry. “

“ No need to apologize, miss, you’re all clear. If you see anything suspicious please be sure to alert one of the President’s guards or my partner Maggie over there “ he pointed to Maggie on the wayside who seemed to have gotten into an argument with a petite redhead with short cropped hair. “ Or myself “

“ Looks like your partner has met my sister Alex, “ Kara said for some reason amused, “ my money’s on Alex, what d'ya think? “

“ I don’t know, I haven’t known for Maggie for long but she seems pretty stubborn to me. “ Jake said finally cracking a grin.

Kara looked back at him, still wearing that radiating smile of hers. “ You didn’t mention your name, officer “

“ Oh right “ Jake scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “ Jake Riley, “ he said extending his hand. Kara took it, she had a firm shake too. Must have been pulling extra hours at the gym he thought. Jake watched as comprehension dawned upon Kara’s features as she recognized him.

“ You survived the Corden, with your son? “ Kara said looking at him awe, “ that’s amazing, I can’t believe I ran into a real American hero and babbled like an idiot for five minutes. You must think me a fool. “  
  
“ It’s really alright, Miss Danvers. I did what I had to “

“ Oh please call me Kara...you know whenever I’ve had the chance to cross paths with Supergirl she’s told me the same thing- “ Kara was interrupted by a loud vibrating sound coming from her phone, she sighed softly. “ Well, that was my boss. Duty calls “ she stowed her phone away digging in her purse for something else, she extracted her card handing it to Jake. “ I know you’ve probably done a million interviews but, our female readers with the magazine would just eat you up “ she coughed awkwardly her face now beet red, “ I mean, eat your story up. I’d love for you to be my first article too...you don’t have to make a decision right now but should you feel inclined my number’s on the card. “ Jake’s gaze darted downwards.

_Kara Danvers, assistant to Cat Grant_

Although, she had crossed out the assistant to Cat Grant part with a black pen and it now read Junior Reporter in swirly girly writing. Before Jake had a chance to ask about the discrepancy, the girl was gone, probably swallowed up by the massive crowd. He wasn’t a fan of reporters but this one had a genuine air to her, so instead of tossing the card into the nearest garbage bin, he tucked it into his vest. Maybe, he’d end up making use of it eventually, when he’d tire of the falsities already being printed about him already.

His brief reverie was interrupted by a booming voice. The mayor, who was announcing the arrival of the president with pomp and circumstance pointed to the private airplane. The steps dropped and out walked an elegantly dressed woman in her fifties, Jake knew to be the President of the United States. On the stage, she joined the mayor and Cat Grant pressing kisses on their cheeks before she addressed the crowd.

“ What a beautiful day it is, here in National City. And what an absolute honor it is for me to be here on this historic day “ Marsdin said to the onslaught of flashing cameras. “ Before I get on with the signing of the bill, I’d like to present this medal of valor to a true American hero, or should I say heroine. “ Marsdin pointed to the skies, “ And she just so happens to be an alien herself...Supergirl “ Jake’s eyes went to the skies where he saw a hovering figure. A woman dressed in a blue blouse and a red skirt, with an equally blood red cape fluttering behind her in the breeze. His heart stopped as he realized Supergirl was not a girl after all but a woman. The woman who had been standing before him moments before awkwardly babbling away. But there was no awkwardness in Supergirl’s demeanor. She gracefully glided through sunny skies onto the stage next to Marsdin and Cat Grant accepting the medal, her cheeks slightly red like before.

At first, Jake thought he’d made a mistake, but there was no missing the uncanny resemblance. All that was missing were the glasses and the awkwardness. Had he run into Supergirl’s twin? Or if it was her, what was that charade she’d displayed? She’d mentioned having a sister, how could an alien have a presumably human sister? Or was the sister alien too? There was a whole flurry of questions overtaking his mind. He felt a poke in his ribs, and he looked over to see Maggie looking up at him.

“ So, how’s that for your first close encounters of the third kind? “ she asked jovially.

Before Jake could answer, they heard the sound of a thunderous boom. Both drawing their guns at unison they scattered towards the source of the disruption. The crowd was scurrying away seeking shelter as Jake saw the scene before him. A giant energy beam was being hurled at the president, and Supergirl stood at the forefront chest out absorbing it. Her medal of valor had turned into molten gold and dripped down the front of her uniform. Once the other creature had done hurling the huge blast of energy, it jumped to the skies and the girl of steel followed becoming a blue and red blur.

“ We need to evacuate, “ Jake told Maggie, already ushering people away. The President was already being rushed away to a safe place along with the Mayor and Cat Grant by Secret Service. Maggie nodded going to the other side. Jake jumped into action, trying to organize the chaos. And although it was all insanity around him, he had one thought in his mind.

He was definitely going to be making use of that number. 


End file.
